This invention relates to the construction of a restaurant and more particularly to the construction of such a facility which permits waiters and/or waitresses handling the needs of patrons of the facility to operate with maximum efficiency. Another feature of the construction is that all areas in which patrons are being served are observable from a single station, which may be the cashier's station. This is important if proper supervision of employee personnel in the restaurant is to result, and in making sure that patron's needs are being taken care of.
In recent years, it has become increasingly the custom of Americans to "dine out", which has resulted in a considerable expansion in the number and types of restaurants which are available for dining purposes. Along with this expansion, competition between different restaurant has grown, with increasing interest being paid to the handling of restaurant patrons in a coordinated and efficient manner, whereby a patron may feel that he or she has been served with rapidity and due attention, and such service is obtainable with minimal waiter personnel.
Important factors in the conception of this invention were the observation that a waiter's efficiency is closely related to the ease with which he can move about the dining area assigned to him, the distance that must be traveled in obtaining food orders, and the access provided a waiter in moving throughout the area he serves. Waiter service stations should be conveniently available, and all areas served by a waiter should be open and visually within the sight of a waiter. A waiter should feel that he may move quickly throughout the area he serves, without fear of collision. With proper visibility, a waiter is constantly aware of the patrons that he is serving, and each patron therefore is assured of prompt service when a need arises.
This invention is more specifically based on the further observation that a major factor in waiter fatigue, the dropping of food servings, collisions, and other accidents which are the concerns of any restaurant, is the prevalence in most restaurants of right-angle corners in corridors provided for waiter and customer travel. If such corridors have substantial width, such problems tend to be minimal, but prudent use of space militates against the provision of wide corridors. It has been observed, for instance, that corridors of 3 to 31/2 feet in width are ample to provide customer and waiter access to an eating area, if the corridor does not include sharp corners and obstructed vision. In a facility, as contemplated by the present invention, movement by a waiter from a waiter station to restaurant patrons within his service area, when such involves a change in direction, is over a relatively wide angle and with full visibility provided of regions beyond the turn, enabling the provision of a corridor accomodating people movement of reduced width.
An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an improved construction for a restaurant which promotes maximum efficiency in the use of space accompanied with maximum efficiency in people movement throughout the space.
Another object is to provide a restaurant construction organized so that employees working in the restaurant are readily observable by a supervisor. In fact, by locating a cashier station near the entrance to the facility, a person located at this station can readily observe all dining areas as well as kitchen personnel.
Yet another object is to provide such a restaurant facility which has an attractive and pleasing appearance, and is capable of being identified by a customer as associated with a particular food dispenser.
Yet another object is to provide a restaurant facility which, for a given size, is capable of efficiently handling a far greater number of patrons than is practicable with conventional constructions.